Monturiol's Dream: The Extraordinary Story of the Submarine Inventor Who Wanted to Save the World - Hardcover

Stewart, Matthew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375414398 ISBN 13: 9780375414398

Publisher: Pantheon, 2004

Synopsis

The story of the nineteenth-century utopian social revolutionary and engineer responsible for the world's first fully operational submarine describes his intent to save human lives and promote democracy, relating his early inspirations and the scientific and political problems that complicated his efforts. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

Anyone who enjoyed Longitude will love Monturiol's Dream...A self-taught man who had made the fiction of Captain Nemo a reality before Verne ever wrote his wonderful novel. This was a man who took a concept which was science fiction and sculpted it into reality...The technical brilliance of Monturiol is undeniable and makes for remarkable reading...Monturiol's Dream is a fascinating, inspiring and utterly delightful scientific history...What I took most from this gorgeous little book ...was...a sense of pure wonder. (The Alien Online)

It's outrageous that for so long he has been ignored. Monturiol is a hero who deserves his place in history...Monturiol is a hero who deserves his place in history...however, his creation was destined to escape his control. (Daily Express)

A fascinating portrait of a forgotten figure (Sunday Tribune)

Narcis Monturiol was responsible for one of the most significant transport inventions yet he is hardly known...One of the great untold stories of the 19th century (Nottingham Evening Post)

Matthew Stewart's excellent biography charts the life of one of the world's most important, yet almost unknown, inventors...The unbreakable utopian spirit that drove Monturiol is definitely worth remembering, and this excellent biography should help to place him on a wider map. (Scotland on Sunday)

There are many roads to utopia. You can publish revolutionary literature. You can take the battle to the streets. Or you can build a giant wooden fish and paddle it around beneath the waters of Barcelona harbour. Only one person has tried all three...Stewart's real theme is the utopian dream that drives inventors and revolutionaries alike. Monturiol was both, offering a unique opportunity to understand the mindset responsible for the constant change that is the only abiding feature of technology and human affairs. (Physics World)

About the Author:

Matthew Stewart graduated from Princeton and received his D.Phil. from Oxford. He is the author of The Truth About Everything: An Irreverent History of Philosophy. He lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pantheon
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0375414398
• ISBN 13: 9780375414398
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352